With All-Star Week in Seattle in the rearview, fans have a couple of days without games to catch their breath before the regular season resumes. Our six-month daily routine of a boatload of ballgames makes a 48-hour stretch without MLB action feel like an eternity, but it’s also a welcome pause for fans from the emotional ups and downs of a regular season. Soon enough, we’ll all be wildly overreacting to results on a nightly basis, feeling certain that each win or loss means everything for our favorite teams — even if there are 60-plus more games to go.
But before we return to that familiar roller-coaster ride, this intermission is a great time to take stock in where things stand across the league for certain teams as a whole. In an effort to comprehensively reflect on the first half — and look ahead to the stretch run — we’ve conducted a simple thought experiment: If we were the fan of Team X, where would our heads be at right now? We tried to put ourselves in the shoes of all 30 fan bases and imagine how good (or bad) we’d be feeling before regular-season action resumes Friday. We can’t speak for all fans — and we welcome feedback, as always — but we did our best to assess each club’s standing at this stage as objectively as possible, based on a combination of how the team has performed relative to expectations and level of optimism for the remainder of the year.
With that, let’s get to the rankings!
1. Atlanta Braves (60-29; 1st place in NL East)
The best team in baseball was historically well-represented at the All-Star Game and has separated itself from Texas and Tampa Bay in recent weeks as the team to beat across the entire league. Atlanta is 30-15 at home and 30-14 on the road, a perfect distillation of its balanced dominance over the first few months. The NL East was supposed to be one of the more compelling division races in MLB with so much star power (and payroll) pitted against each other. Instead, the Braves are comfortably chilling in the clouds above their competition. Bravo. — Jordan Shusterman
2. Cincinnati Reds (50-41; 1st place in NL Central)
With a tough schedule coming out of the break and the pitching staff still a significant question mark, there’s a sense that a reality check may be coming for one of the most remarkable stories of the season’s first half. For now, though? These fans are over the moon. Whether the Reds reach October remains to be seen. But having four rookies (Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer and Andrew Abbott) balling out to this degree — and one of them being the most exciting new player in baseball — has this fan base not just ecstatic about the present, but eagerly optimistic about the future. — Shusterman
3. Baltimore Orioles (54-35; 2nd place in AL East; 2.0 GB)
We’re giving the O’s the slight nod over the team they are chasing in Tampa Bay just for how quickly they’ve launched themselves out of the depths of a rebuild and into a legitimate force in the league’s most brutal division. Any concerns about whether the steps forward demonstrated in 2022 were fool’s gold have turned out to be unfounded; these Birds just keep getting better and the waves of talented young hitters just keep on coming. Can Tyler Wells, Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista carry this shaky pitching staff all the way to October? They could probably use some help, but this team also might rake enough for it not to matter that much. — Shusterman
‘I grew up coming here’ – Orioles’ Adley Rutschman at All-Star week
4. Tampa Bay Rays (58-35; 1st place in AL East)
5. Texas Rangers (52-39; 1st place in AL West)
The clubs with the two best run differentials in the entire league (Rays at +149, Rangers at +148) are each two games up in their respective divisions. Both Texas and Tampa got off to scalding starts thanks to their extremely deep lineups, before scuffling a bit into the All-Star break. These are two of the best offenses in baseball, and even though both should be further ahead of the competition given the run differentials, these fan bases still must feel pretty great about the season thus far. — Jake Mintz
6. Miami Marlins (53-39; 2nd place in NL East; 8.5 GB)
There were things to like about this Fish roster coming into the season — it just seemed they’d be destined for fourth place anyway due to the big-spending behemoths in their division. Or nah! Luis Arráez is a delight, Eury Pérez is a phenom beyond comprehension, and the team just keeps winning. The -5 run differential is a concern moving forward, but it’s also what has made the Marlins one of the most fun teams to watch in all of MLB in the first half. A 21-5 record in one-run games is absurd — we never should’ve doubted a skipper named Skip. — Shusterman
Marlins’ Luis Arráez smacks RBI single to even score in All-Star Game
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (52-39; tied for 1st place in NL West)
Though the Dodgers rallied to the top of the division heading into the break, there’s still so much to feel good about with the Snakes right now. Zac Gallen just started the All-Star Game, Corbin Carroll is a bona fide star, and trade acquisition Lourdes Gurriel Jr. joined both of them at the Midsummer Classic alongside a massive developmental breakout in Geraldo Perdomo. This contention window has been jammed open in an ultra-exciting way. — Shusterman
8. Philadelphia Phillies (48-41; 3rd place in NL East; 12.0 GB)
After the magic of last October and the blockbuster addition of Trea Turner, the Phils entered this season with stratospheric expectations. After stumbling out of the gate, Rob Thomson’s club righted the ship with an 18-8 record in June that partially restored last autumn’s good vibes. Sure, things could be going better at Citizens Bank Park — Bryce Harper hasn’t hit a home run since before De La Cruz debuted with the Reds in early June — but Philly is firmly in the mix for a playoff spot. — Mintz
9. San Francisco Giants (49-41; 3rd place in NL West; 2.5 GB)
San Francisco’s steady success has gotten somewhat lost alongside Arizona’s slightly better parallel performance. Strong rookie showings from guys like Patrick Bailey have infused a youthful energy that this team has mostly lacked in recent seasons even when it has been good. Credit to Gabe Kapler’s squad for staying firmly in the postseason mix after a winter in which the organization was lambasted for failing to land any big-ticket free agents. — Shusterman
Giants rookie Patrick Bailey crushes go-ahead, three-run homer vs. Mets
10. Milwaukee Brewers (49-42; 2nd place in NL Central; 1.0 GB)
Just the fact that Christian Yelich is starting to look like CHRISTIAN YELICH again is enough reason for excitement for Brew Crew supporters. That said, if you told Milwaukee fans the Cardinals would be this horrible, they might assume they’d be running away with the division — and that is very much not the case. Still, the Brewers are set up reasonably well if they can get healthier and some of their bigger names besides Yelich start performing to their potential. They’re in a decent spot. — Shusterman
11. Los Angeles Dodgers (51-38; tied for 1st place in NL West)
12. Houston Astros (50-41; 2nd place in AL West; 2.0 GB)
We’ve grown so used to these teams casually kicking everyone’s butt and taking names in their respective leagues over much of the past decade that the standards for satisfaction for them are so high. Houston’s troubling rash of injuries on both sides of the ball and the Dodgers’ ongoing pitching woes have knocked each team down a peg from certified juggernaut status. Yet, they are both in reasonable positions to clinch division crowns by the end of the season — because of course they are. — Shusterman
‘I still think the Houston Astros are the best team built for the postseason’
13. Cleveland Guardians (45-45; 1st place in AL Central)
14. Minnesota Twins (45-46; 2nd place in AL Central; 0.5 GB)
It’s one of the least inspiring division title races we’ve seen in quite some time, but the fact that either of these teams heads into the second half with an excellent chance to host a postseason series as the AL Central champion is what has them ahead of the three AL East teams with markedly better records. It’s not their fault they play in a historically weak division; now it’s just a matter of which one can actually take advantage of it. — Shusterman
15. Toronto Blue Jays (50-41; 2nd place in AL East; 7.0 GB)
16. New York Yankees (49-42; 3rd place in AL East; 8.0 GB)
17. Boston Red Sox (48-43; 4th place in AL East; 9.0 GB)
Somebody in the AL East has to finish fifth, pick your poison. There’s Toronto, the most talented American League team on paper who just can’t put a hot stretch together; New York, an aging injury-riddled group that’s somehow remained in the mix; or Boston, an oddly built roster full of talented players who, as a whole, completely lack cohesion or identity. The Jays feel like the most likely to kick things into gear, but that makes their uninspiring first half even more blah for the fan base. Yankees zealots have high standards, but anybody would be driven mad by their club’s hellaciously frustrating first half. And the Red Sox? They’re simply a hard group to get passionately excited about. This whole cluster is the “c’mon, do something” meme. — Mintz
Gerrit Cole joins MLB on FOX to discuss move from Houston to New York
18. Seattle Mariners (45-44; 3rd place in AL West; 6.0 GB)
Winning seven of nine heading into the break combined with Julio Rodríguez’s record-breaking Home Run Derby performance in front of the home crowd at T-Mobile Park certainly helped cover up an otherwise underwhelming first half for Seattle. There are still real concerns with the roster heading into the second half, but there also remains a real opportunity to stay in the mix for a return trip to October if the offense can start to match a pitching staff that has generally done its job and then some. — Shusterman
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (41-49; 4th place in NL Central; 11.5 GB)
20. Chicago Cubs (42-47; 3rd place in NL Central; 11.5 GB)
Despite being similar beneficiaries of the Cardinals’ first-half catastrophe, these two teams haven’t capitalized in nearly the same way that their rebuilding brethren in Cincinnati have. The Cubs are the better team with a better place in the standings, but rank below the Buccos in this metric due to the significantly higher expectations coming into the season. Also, the Pirates just drafted Paul Skenes No. 1 overall. I’d be pretty amped about that if I was a fan. — Shusterman
Nico Hoerner cranks solo home run to extend Cubs’ lead over Pirates
21. Washington Nationals (36-54; 5th place in NL East; 24.5 GB)
The Nationals were sneaky frisky for the first couple of months before swiftly stumbling back to the bottom tier of teams record-wise. This feels too high to rank a team heading toward another 100-loss season, but this is also basically what we expected from the Nats. Plus, their young guys have shown enough progress (especially on the mound) to somewhat brighten up the future outlook as the rebuild continues. And as we just mentioned with Pittsburgh regarding Skenes, Washington has Dylan Crews now. That’s a lot better than not having Dylan Crews. — Shusterman
22. Detroit Tigers (39-50; 3rd place in AL Central; 5.5 GB)
Detroit benefits from the ugly showings from its rivals floundering below in the division standings, but it’s hard to feel that good about the state of this rebuild relative to some of the other teams who have experienced such an extended period of losing like the Tigers have. — Shusterman
23. Colorado Rockies (34-57; 5th place in NL West; 18.0 GB)
You could argue Colorado belongs lower for its general aimlessness as a franchise with little hope for contention in the near future, but nothing about this season has been particularly surprising, so it’s not like the fans have been caught off guard by the team’s last-place standing. Plus, Elías Díaz just won All-Star Game MVP! That’s awesome! — Shusterman
24. Los Angeles Angels (45-46; 4th place in AL West; 7.0 GB)
Had we done this exercise a month ago, the Angels would rank in the top half of the league. They were eight games over .500 and seemingly on track to finally fight for a postseason spot for the first time with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Instead, a rash of injuries including a broken hamate for Trout has this season spiraling in all too familiar fashion. Ohtani’s nightly heroics no longer feel like a celebration of Angels baseball but rather a countdown toward the end of an era that never actually produced any tangible team success. It’s already been bleak, but it might be getting even bleaker. — Shusterman
2023 MLB All-Star Game: Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is rewriting MLB history
25. San Diego Padres (43-47; 4th place in NL West; 8.5 GB)
26. New York Mets (42-48; 4th place in NL East; 18.5 GB)
These two teams with sky-high expectations in spring training coming off big-spending winters just wrapped the first half with a series in San Diego in which the Padres won two of three. The parallels here are obvious: two teams who have shirked the traditional patience and restraint of modern team-building in favor of big and bold splashes in free agency and via trade, amassing high-profile players like they’re shiny Pokémon cards. We will always applaud ownership and front-office groups willing to be aggressive in star-player acquisition no matter the cost, but these clubs simply haven’t seen the results thus far. I’m more optimistic about San Diego in the second half than New York, but from where things stand now, the two belong paired together here near the bottom. — Shusterman
27. Chicago White Sox (38-54; 4th place in AL Central; 8.0 GB)
With the out-of-touch Tony LaRussa sent packing, 2023 was supposed to be the turning over of a new leaf for the Sox. Ha! This team is a dumpster fire of broken toys, a cautionary example of a rebuild gone wrong. With Chicago 16 games under .500 and eight back in the division, it’s probably time for general manager Rick Hahn to sell off whatever he can at the deadline. The window is closing. The sun is setting. If I were a Sox fan, I’d be livid. — Mintz
28. Kansas City Royals (26-65; 5th place in AL Central; 19.5 GB)
29. St. Louis Cardinals (38-52; 5th place in NL Central; 11.5 GB)
It’s been misery in Missouri in 2023 for two very different reasons. Outside of mild steps forward from hopeful franchise face Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City’s rebuild couldn’t be going much worse. Its farm system is in disarray and the big-league team is shockingly close to as bad as an Oakland squad that was essentially constructed to lose baseball games. As for the Cardinals, a fan base that has little to no experience cheering for anything that even resembles a bad team is obviously beyond discontent if not downright furious regarding the state of affairs. In a different year, when a team wasn’t actively on the way out of town, St. Louis would be an obvious No. 30 in these rankings. — Shusterman
Nolan Arenado blasts two-run homer to put Cardinals ahead of White Sox
30. Oakland Athletics (25-67; 5th place in AL West; 25.5 GB)
This one is pretty simple: The A’s are the worst team in baseball, and the organization has spent most of 2023 planning its unceremonious exit from Oakland. This ballclub was built to fail, assembled for the sole purpose of keeping fans away from the Coliseum as an excuse to relocate to Vegas. Other fan bases are having bad experiences watching bad teams. That doesn’t begin to compare with facing the reality of not having a team at all. — Mintz
Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He has covered baseball for his entire adult life, most notably for MLB.com, DAZN and The Ringer. He’s a Mariners fan living in the Eastern Time Zone, which means he loves a good 10 p.m. first pitch. You can follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.
Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.
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